


High Stakes

by imaginary_golux



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Badass Finn, First Kiss, Fluff, Gambling, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-11
Updated: 2016-05-11
Packaged: 2018-06-07 18:40:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6819610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginary_golux/pseuds/imaginary_golux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From a kink meme prompt: everyone knows about the time Han Solo won the <i>Millennium Falcon</i> in a game of sabacc. The time Finn won <i>Poe</i> in a game of sabacc is slightly less legendary...so far.</p>
<p>Beta by my Best Beloved, Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw, and if any of you are Dr. Who fans you should go check out the new series he's starting today, which I had the honor to help beta.</p>
            </blockquote>





	High Stakes

“Now look,” says the leader of the people Poe has been mentally referring to as ‘these kriffing assholes,’ “we caught him fair and square. If you can’t keep track of your pretty boy, that’s hardly our problem.”

Poe would object to being called a ‘pretty boy,’ but they gagged him a while back, so all he can do is glare.

Finn shrugs, elaborately casual. “Fair, fair,” he allows. “But I do kinda want him back. As you say, he _is_ pretty, even if he does wander off when he shouldn’t. Tell you what: I’ll play you for him.”

“Yeah?” says Asshole Leader. “What game?”

“Dealer’s choice,” Finn shrugs again.

“Sabacc,” says Asshole Leader, gesturing to one of his minions, who produces a deck of cards. Poe winces. He’s never seen Finn play sabacc - for all he knows, Finn has never played at all.

Finn nods easily. “Sabacc is fine with me,” he says. The minions haul a table and a pair of chairs over, and Finn settles in as calmly as though he’s back on D’Qar, surrounded by friends, not in the middle of a whole crowd of well-armed enemies. “But howabout we use new cards.”

Asshole Leader laughs. “Yeah, sure,” he says, and waves a hand; the bartender comes bustling over with a sabacc droid and a new deck of cards. Finn and Asshole Leader both examine them for marks.

“Alright,” Finn says at last. “I’m satisfied.”

“Cool customer, aren’t you,” Asshole Leader says. “And what’s your ante, then?”

Finn smiles. “Well, I don’t exactly have a lot of credits lying around,” he says, and plunks his blaster down in the middle of the table. Poe would facepalm if his hands weren’t tied. Bad enough Finn is playing for _him_ , but to give up his _weapon_ at the same time - what the kriff is Finn thinking?

“Ballsy son of a blaster, aren’t you?” Asshole Leader says. “Don’t suppose you’re looking for a job?”

“Sadly, no,” Finn says. “Got obligations, you know how it is.”

“Hah, yeah, alright,” Asshole Leader says, and the sabacc droid deals.

Poe can’t see their hands, can’t see the cards; the minions holding him are intent upon the game, but their hands are still tight on Poe’s arms, no hope of escape there. And even if he _could_ break away, that would leave _him_ bound and gagged in the middle of this slum of a city, and Finn unarmed in the middle of an angry gang. Poe closes his eyes and sends up a prayer to the Force. Please let this work. Let Finn be secretly amazing at sabacc, or be manipulating things with the Force, or - anything. Or be stalling so backup has time to arrive. That would work too.

“House rules,” the sabacc droid says. “Only two cards frozen, any suits viable for Idiot’s Array.”

“Acceptable,” Finn says, glancing at his cards. “Play to three hands?”

“Sounds good,” Asshole Leader replies.

First hand goes to Finn. Poe tries hard not to hope too much.

Second hand goes to Asshole Leader. Poe tries desperately not to despair.

“Third hand for the pot,” Asshole Leader says smugly. Finn just smiles back.

Poe closes his eyes and waits.

“Negative twenty-three,” Asshole Leader says smugly.

“Positive twenty-three,” Finn replies, the soft sound of his cards hitting the table almost lost in the noise of disappointment Asshole Leader makes.

“Damn,” he says mildly. “Alright. Deal’s a deal, and I like you, ballsy kid.”

“Thank you,” Finn says, standing - Poe, shivering with tension, opens his eyes to see Finn shaking hands with Asshole Leader, holstering his blaster with his spare hand. “A pleasure to deal with someone so honorable as yourself.”

Asshole Leader laughs. “Just keep an eye on your pretty boy from now on,” he advises Finn. “I’m not the only one who’d find him tempting.”

“I’ll do that thing,” Finn agrees, and when the minions snap the shackles from Poe’s wrists and take the gag from his mouth, Finn wraps a hand snugly around his arm, nods amiably to Asshole Leader, and tugs Poe with him out of the bar and down the street. Poe stumbles in his wake, half-dazed by the speed with which his fortunes have changed again, and Finn walks fast, eyes darting in all directions, until they reach a rank of taxis, shoves Poe into one and types in the spaceport address with swift fingers.

“Kriffing hell, Finn,” Poe says once they’re on their way. “I had no idea you knew how to play sabacc!”

Finn gives him a crooked smile. “Not much else to do in barracks. I’ve been playing since I was old enough to know what the numbers meant.” He shakes Poe a little by the arm he’s still clutching. “Kriffing hell, Poe, you have _got_ to stop going off alone to do dangerous things. At least let me come with you to watch your back!”

Poe’s all set to say he’s not going to stop doing dangerous things as long as the Resistance needs him to when he registers the second sentence. “Oh,” he says after a moment. “I...yeah, I could do that.”

“I know you’re the best pilot we’ve got and eight kinds of badass besides, but you can’t keep track of _everything_ ,” Finn says wearily. “Let me help. I’m pretty good at looking like a bodyguard.”

“I will,” Poe promises. “Next time, I’ll bring you along, I promise.”

Finn nods and finally relaxes back against the seat. “Alright. Good. It’s not that I mind rescuing you, but I wouldn’t mind not _having_ to rescue you, either.”

“Honestly I’d be just as happy not to need rescuing,” Poe admits. “Not that watching you rescue me isn’t _fun_ , but still.” He gives Finn a curious look. “What were you going to do if you lost?”

Finn raises one arm and shakes his hand, and a tiny snub-nosed blaster falls out of his sleeve into his palm. “Shoot them all.”

Poe blinks at it. Holy kriffing hell, that’s _unfairly_ hot. “So you...disarmed yourself conspicuously so they’d be surprised if you needed to shoot.”

“Yep,” says Finn, grinning and tucking the holdout weapon away again.

“I see,” Poe says slowly. “So. On a slightly different topic: you think I’m pretty?”

Finn raises an eyebrow at Poe. “Poe Dameron, you do not need me to tell you that you are pretty.”

“Well, no,” Poe admits. “But I might like it if you told me _you_ thought I was pretty.”

“I am absolutely sure you are usually better at flirting than this,” Finn says, amused.

“I haven’t usually just been won in a game of sabacc,” Poe points out. “I think I’m allowed to be a little off my game.”

“Fair enough,” Finn says, grinning at him. “Did you want to keep trying now, or wait until you’ve got your equilibrium back and try again later?”

“You are secretly kind of an asshole, aren’t you?” Poe marvels. “How did I not know this until now?”

Finn shrugs and looks conspicuously innocent. “I might, perhaps, have been spending a little too much time with Jess.”

Poe facepalms. “Oh kriff, and she told you _all_ about my youthful idiocies, didn’t she?”

“Actually she mostly told me if I broke your heart she’d break my knees,” Finn says, and Poe looks up to see Finn smiling at him sweetly. “So should I start running the next time I see her?”

Poe shakes his head, grinning, and leans over to press his lips very gently to Finn’s. “No, buddy,” he says quietly. “I think your knees are safe.”

“Oh good,” says Finn softly, and tugs Poe closer, and they lean against each other until the taxi sets down at the spaceport. Finn’s shoulder is very warm, and Poe tucks his head into the curve of Finn’s neck and just smiles and smiles and smiles.

_So_ worth getting kidnapped. Though maybe he won’t say that out loud.


End file.
